Some of the region’s finest independent wine retailers will make their way to Ancoats this September for a premium wine and fizz festival.
Hosted at Hallé St Peter’s on Blossom Street, the boutique event will pull in some incredible winemakers from around the globe – giving guests the opportunity to taste a variety of exclusive bottles.
Manchester’s wine lovers will be able to chat directly to some of the industry’s most passionate advocates, with guided tastings led by those in the know.
There’ll also be some specialist masterclasses running across the weekend, giving serious wine fans the chance to delve into specific topics, themes and regions.
These will be complemented by live music from local artists and paired food from Cafe Cotton.
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The festival will attract top winemakers from around the country / Image: Kelsey Knight via Unsplash
Retailers confirmed to take part in the wine and fizz festival so far include South Manchester wine delivery service Decent Drop and Prestwich’s Grape to Grain.
UKiYO Republic will also be in attendance, showcasing their range of Japanese sake (aka rice wine).
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Bottles will be available to purchase from retailers to take home throughout the duration of the festival.
The event is a highlight of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival, which takes place this year from 16 – 27 September at Cathedral Gardens and across the city.
Tickets cost £12.50 per person and can be purchased from the Manchester Food and Drink Festival website.
Featured image: Cutting Room Square
What's On
Popular Manchester attraction offering FREE entry to anyone who shares a name with these England players
Emily Sergeant
A popular Manchester attraction is offering people the chance to visit for free this summer… but only if they have certain names.
That’s right – Museum of Illusions is giving football fans an extra reason to celebrate every goal this summer, as the city centre attraction is offering free entry to anyone whose first name matches that of a Three Lions player that scores in an England fixture.
So if Harry Kane scores, all Harrys are in. If Jude Bellingham gets on the scoresheet, Judes can claim a free ticket. The same goes for Anthony, Ollie, or any other England player who bags a goal as the tournament foes on, meaning thousands more fans will be able to have their minds blown and let their imaginations run wild this summer.
The offer will run from tomorrow (Thursday 18 June) until 18 July – with the list of eligible names growing every time an England player finds the back of the net.
To claim their free ticket, visitors simply need to show valid photo ID at the admissions desk confirming their first name matches that of a confirmed England goalscorer.
Located on Market Street at the heart of the city centre, Museum of Illusions features more than 50 interactive exhibits designed to challenge perception and trick the senses.
Proving to be hugely popular since opening its doors back in 2024, visitors to Museum of Illusions can explore gravity-defying rooms, optical illusions, immersive installations, and holograms that create unforgettable photo opportunities for families and friends (and football fans) alike.
Free entry to Museum of Illusions in Manchester will be granted until 18 July 2026, and you can find out more info and opening times before you visit here.
Featured Image – Supplied
What's On
Five genuinely cheap eats and great value-for-money lunch deals in Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
A daily dilemma for us seems to be deciding what to have for dinner (you heard), especially as we’re all trying to save more pennies nowadays, but luckily, Manchester does have some great lunch deals if you look hard enough.
You just need to know where, and in some cases, exactly when to find them…
That’s where we come in; we’re not talking about anything close to a tenner either, as that’s more of a monthly treat and few can feasibly afford to spend that kind of money on scran every day.
So, without further ado, here are some of the best and ACTUALLY cheap lunchtime deals and offers in Manchester city centre.
Five of the best lunch offers in central Manchester
1. Vanilla Fudge – Bridge Street
Up first is an old favourite of ours that doesn’t seem to have changed over the years, no matter how much the cost of living crisis continues to linger. We’ll be honest, we first tried this place after a night out in Mojos next door way back when, but we’ve been coming ever since we saw the specials board.
It may look like one of many standard Manc butty shops/kebab houses when the sun sets, but for our money, Vanilla Fudge still has one of the best lunch deals in Manchester to this day: TWO big, well-packed wraps ‘of the day’, complete with protein, plenty of salad and your choice of sauce for just £5.50.
You’ll always find a few in the know on their break.We always hope to see Cajun chicken as the special. You can add cheese for an extra quid, or chips and a drink for £8.50. Bosh. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
2. Zaytoni – Multiple
Any cheap eat in Manchester that starts from under a fiver in this day and age is a winner in our books, and with Zaytoni, you can get plenty for just that and no more than a ‘bluey’; better still, their menu – be it the low-end or stuff that creeps over that amount – always slaps.
With two regularly busy sites (hardly a shock) on Oxford Road and the edge of the Northern Quarter/Piccadilly, you can get some very solid pizzas and garlic breads from between £4.50 and £7, but our advice is to go for a super-filling fatayer, with loads of fresh salad, and split one with a mate.
From one simply but satisfying spot to another, you can’t do a round-up of the best deals you can grab on your dinner in Manchester city centre without mentioning the local breakfast and lunchtime institution that is Rustica over in NQ.
Run by Manc mum to many, Jeanette, she and her team have literally been given a lifetime achievement award not only for keeping their food affordable for more than 25 years now, no matter what state the economy is in – and with lines around the block almost every single day without fail, it’s no wonder.
Next up is the still incredibly best and well-kept secret, Meridian Cafe and Bar, tucked down the side streets not far from Market and King Street, and just around the corner from Pall Mall. Well, we say ‘secret’ – it’s not really anymore, sorry… But this is some of the best halal Asian fusion in town.
That being said, it never fails to surprise us how many people haven’t heard of this place when we bring it up, and the weekly midday crowd is still relatively manageable given just how good their offer is: a massive lunch box starting from just £5.80. You can add more if you want, but trust us, you won’t need it.
The catch is, it’s only up for grabs during a specific window – find out when right here.
This and That – NQ
Last but not least, it would be nothing short of a crime to overlook one of the most legendary lunch deals in Manchester: the original rice and three offer from the storied This and That Cafe on the otherwise unsuspecting Soap Street, just around from NQ’s bustling Thomas St strip.
This place should need no introduction, really, and it may not be the only place that does this kind of offer, but with nearly four whole decades of serving up some of the tastiest curries in the city centre for cheap, this is the epitome of what we want from the Manc foodie scene on our dinner hour. Iconic.
Honourable mention
Bunny Jacksons
Last but not least, to round things up to a nice even half dozen in case none of these takes your fancy, how could we possibly forget Bunny’s? Arguably the best dive bar not just in Manchester but the entire world, this place is built on serving up great value-for-money scran, especially in hard times.
Wings from just 20p have kept us going until the end of many a long month waiting for payday, and while this place truly comes into its own come the evening when the playlist gets even louder, and the likes of bandaoke get going, it’s still a great place to nip at noon. Six is plenty, and 12 is more than enough.
Georgina Pellant -
1st June 2021 
